1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a secondary surveillance radar system comprising an airborne system and a ground system. The airborne system is a system loaded on an aircraft, such as a mode S transponder or an ATCRBS transponder. The ground system transmits an interrogation signal to the airborne system, and flight control is performed in accordance with a reply signal to the interrogation signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A secondary surveillance radar (SSR) system comprises a ground system for transmitting interrogation signals to an aircraft and an airborne system for returning reply signals in reply to the interrogation signals. Conventionally, an ATCRBS (Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System) transponder is used as the airborne system. In addition, in recent years, the number of aircrafts including mode S transponders (SSR mode S) has been increased. A mode S transponder has a function of incorporating various information into reply signals. By virtue of this function, the mode S transponder can transmit a larger amount of information to the ground system. The method of transmitting interrogation signals is variously designed in order that the ground system could acquire both the ATCRBS transponder and the mode S transponder.
In the SSR system, the time period for which interrogation signals are transmitted is divided into all-call time periods and roll-call time periods in units of one sweep time period of a radar. The all-call time period is a time 30 period for acquiring the mode S transponder and the ATCRBS transponder. Especially, an all-call interrogation signal specific for mode S is transmitted to the mode S transponder and an all-call interrogation signal specific for mode A/C is transmitted to the ATCRBS transponder for the all-call time periods in the SSR mode S.
However, in the existing systems, some of the transponders may not be acquired by the ground system even though they actually exist. The reason for this is explained below.
First, when the all-call interrogation signal specific for mode S is transmitted, the mode S transponder receives this interrogation signal, and then returns the reply signal to the ground system. At that moment, the mode S transponder sets an interrogator identifier (II) included in the received all-call interrogation signal into a PI field of the reply signal according to a rule. The interrogator identifier (hereinafter, referred to as “II”) is one of the codes (1 to 15) used to identify a Mode S ground system using the multisite protocols. At this time, there may appear a transponder returning a reply in which a value of the PI field is “0”. When viewed from the ground system, the II indicated by this reply signal seems different from the II of the ground system itself, so that the ground system excludes this reply signal from processing targets. This causes a serious problem that the transponder which has transmitted the reply signal is not acquired, and that presence of the aircraft equipped with this transponder cannot be recognized by the ground system.
Next, when the all-call interrogation signal specific for mode A/C is transmitted, the reply signal from the ATCRBS transponder is normally returned to the ground system. However, there exist transponders which erroneously recognize a P4 pulse. In this case, since the reply signal is not returned, the ATCRBS transponder is not acquired, and the aircraft is not recognized either. Further, there are also ATCRBS transponders which erroneously recognize the all-call interrogation signal specific for mode S and thus return illegal replies, and this also leads to a serious situation.
It should be noted that a related technique is disclosed on pages 227-233 of “Radar Engineering Revised Edition” written by Takashi Yoshida, and published by the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (1996). This literature discloses a secondary surveillance radar in detail.
As described above, some transponders may not be acquired in the existing secondary surveillance radar system. This causes a serious problem to flight surveillance, and some measures are therefore desired for improvement.